Can You Ever Forgive Me?
by ImagingThings
Summary: The Shadow Dragons have been defeated. Her husband is back. But 18 is still struggling with her feelings! 18Krillin
1. Do I Hate?

She'd been faced with a choice, the terrible, heart wrecking choice between her brother, who, despite everything, had always, in his own special way, shown her that he cared about her, and that wonderful brave man who'd refused to destroy her so Cell couldn't absorb her and then, after Cell had been defeated, had wished the bombs inside her and her brother away. The man she'd ended up marrying and who'd given her the most precious gift ever; her sweet little, innocent daughter.

But when her brother had killed her husband she'd made her choice; she could never be like her brother. Never! So she had assisted Goku in killing the monster her brother had become after he'd merged with his hell fighter clone.

"I think your brother was still in there, somewhere!"

Ooh Goku. She'd gotten Krillin back. But at what cost? Goku was gone, for good this time. Still she couldn't help smiling one of her very rare smiles, even as a child Goku had a special kind of wisdom to him, it wasn't the wisdom for living for centuries watching over the world, like the one the Kais (even King Kai) possessed but the wisdom one would get from living in the world for good or bad. Goku _understood_ people in a way she never could.

Krillin was back. So why was she still grieving? Chichi, Gohan, Goten, Pan maybe especially Pan, she'd been so close to her grandpa, they all had greater reason for grieving than she had. After all, she'd never really been close to Goku, having been created in order to kill him. She knew why she was grieving. She wasn't grieving for her husband, or for Goku. She was grieving for her brother. Her brother whom she'd lost in a way far worse than death. He was lost to her.

Sighing to herself 18 realized that her thoughtful flight- yes, she had been flying all the time- had brought her to the area in which Gero's lap had once been situated. The place where she'd been born. No! Not born! Created. She'd been _born_ somewhere else, a long time ago, as an ordinary human girl; she'd been born along with her brother. The brother she'd lost.

"You got your revenge in the end, Dr. Gero! No matter what you did with us you could _never_ destroy the connection of twins between us. But in the end, you did. You broke it with such a force I feel I've been shattered as well!"

She hadn't realized she'd been speaking out loudly until a voice carried off towards her:

"Don't be broken!"

A _very_ familiar voice. Stopping dead in her tracks she turned and saw. Him.

"You!" she all but spat the word out. She would've attacked him if it hadn't been for Goku's words ringing in her mind:

"I think your brother was still in there, somewhere!"

Maybe he'd been right. They'd only wished the _good_ victims of Super 17 and the Shadow Dragons back. And there he was; completely alive.

"Are you… yourself again?"

"Yes! I am. I'm really sorry for what happened. Can you ever forgive me?"

Could she? Somehow she doubted it. Her brother had done the impossible; he'd broken the heart of someone who'd already gotten her heart replaced with cybernetics. So could she forgive him?

"I… don't know…" she began uncertain.

"I don't expect you to really _care_ about me again." he said, his eyes filling with something, was it, tears? "Just don't, hate me!"

Did she hate him? She supposed she'd hated him for a while. But did she really still hate him?

"I don't think I hate you anymore. But I need time to sort my feelings out. Please, give me time to think!"

With those words she flew off, back towards Kame House not noticing 17 breaking down to his knees behind her. Sobbing uncontrollable, like he'd never done before.


	2. The Lost Twin

He fell to his knees and the ground was shattered beneath them. But he didn't care. Why should he? The only person in the world who'd ever really cared about him hated him. Oh yes, she'd said she didn't _think_ she hated him anymore. That was just it, she didn't _think_ she hated him, but he _knew _better; even when her mouths had told him she didn't hate him her eyes told him she did.

But, why was he letting that get him? Up till their not-so-successful meeting in that alleyway, which he, basically, just wanted to forget all about, they hadn't seen each other for almost 30 years. In fact they hadn't seen each other since before he'd been absorbed by Cell. It was also very clear that she'd moved on; she'd married and by the look of it her daughter had been in her early twenties.

So why should she care about a lost brother?

"He gave you emotions. And you hated him!"

Once again Krillin's words, the futile attempt to bring 17 out of the trance he'd been placed in, came back to him. Oh yes. He _hated_ Dr. Gero; he loathed that man with every fibre of his being. And not just for giving him emotions, emotions weren't all bad, but for controlling him. For severing the bond between him and his sister.

Once he'd made an oath to himself; if anyone dared to hurt his sister he'd kill them

Now _that _was the solution; _he_ was the one who'd hurt his sister. _He_'d have to die. In all those years one of the things which had kept him going had been the knowledge that she was out there, somewhere, happy. Now that knowledge was gone. Now he instead knew she was out there, hating him.

A faint smiled showed on his lips; all his life he'd taken pride in not letting his life be controlled by others but wasn't this the proof of the opposite? Despite their yearlong separation his life was still, for good or evil, controlled by his twin. It didn't matter; if his life were to be controlled by anyone having her control him wasn't so bad.

Now the only question remaining was; how did an android commit suicide?


	3. One Has Forgiven

18 landed on the small island and entered the house. Krillin was sitting in his favourite chair, talking with turtle while Master Roshi sat in another chair reading, well, there won't be any points for guessing what _he_ was reading.

"Hello!" Krillin said, looking up when she entered. "Are you okay?"

The concern laced in both his voice and on his face warmed her more than anything. Ooh how she loved that man; how she loved the way he would always make sure everyone was okay.

"Yeah… I'm fine…"

She wasn't. And one look from Krillin told her that he knew it just as well as she did. Sighing she went over and sat down besides her husband.

"I…" she began uncertain. "I met 17 today. Out where the lab used to be. He… he asked me to forgive him. To stop hating him."

"What did you say to him?" Krillin asked.

"I told I'm I didn't think I hated him anymore. But that I didn't know if I could forgive him."

For a long while no sound, except for the puffing noises from Master Roshi, was heard. Then Krillin said something there surprised 18 to no end.

"I think you should forgive him. Think about it; Goku's wish was for all the _good_ people to be brought back. He was brought back which must mean he's good. Your brother made a mistake but I'm sure he regrets it. I've already forgiven him, not directly though, but to myself; and I was the one he killed. How much more don't you think he'd want his sister to forgive him?"

Yes. He was right. Of course he was he usually was. Tomorrow she'd fly back and find her brother, but now it was getting late.

The late part didn't seem to stop Marron though; the girl stepped out from her bedroom in the same moment; not at all clad like someone who was going to spend a night at home.

"Where are you going young lady?"

"To a party! You just _try_ to stop me mum. I'm 23 years old. It's not _my_ fault we live on a stupid island in the middle of nowhere."

With those words Marron walked outside, opened the capsule car she'd received from the Briefs at her 18th birthday and left the island. No matter how much 18 hated to admit it she knew her daughter was right; she'd grown up, she just wasn't the little girl she'd been once. And as for living in the middle of nowhere; well, she wasn't too fond of it herself either.

"Well." Krillin said, yawning, "I'll go to bed. I'm defiantly not as young as I was!"

With those words he stood up and headed for their bedroom while 18 paused for a moment looking around in the house she'd come to call her home; turtle had withdrawn into his shell and was snoring contently while Master Roshi was sleeping as well, one of his magazines had fallen to the floor. Slowly 18 went over and put a blanket over him, as much as she disliked the man she didn't want him to become sick either. Leaving the room she turned off the light and went to bed.


	4. Absolution Granted

He'd made up his mind; his life was going to end now, one way or the other. But how? How did an android, who was practically indestructible, commit suicide? He didn't want to blow the entire Earth to pieces.

He'd been flying around over the ocean the entire night when he suddenly noticed the capsule car beneath him; it was swirling around madly, smoke erupting in thick black clouds from behind while the young female driver tried the best she could to regain control.

Why did that girl seem so familiar? Like he'd seen her somewhere before?

Of course; that girl was 18's daughter, his own niece. She'd been with her parents on that fateful day.

He made up his mind. Even though he still wanted to put an end to his life it didn't mean he wanted her to die as well.

The car had disappeared beneath the surface of the ocean. Wasting no time he flew down and dived under; being an android was going to help him, one last time.

He soon caught up with the rapidly sinking car. Unfortunately he wasn't the only one showing interest in the vehicle; a large group of sharks were swimming around it, with no doubt brought to the scene by the red stream of blood oozing out from the car which was already almost filled with water.

Horrified 17 realized that he had to chase the sharks away, without blasting the car then get access to the car, without harming the girl. All in, as far as he could judge, less than one minute.

Acting instinctively, there was no time for anything else; he swam right past the sharks, only eliminating those who came too close with a quick blast, reached the car, used his inhuman strength to simply wrench the door open, pulled the unconscious girl out and hurried to the surface.

It wasn't long before the next question arrived; where did she even live? They were miles away from the nearest city. But, maybe she didn't live in a city. They were close to the island where 17 had gone with 18 and 16, back when their mission was still to kill Goku, before they'd even heard of Cell. Maybe she lived there. And even if she didn't that was the only place where she could get the help she needed.

Making up his mind he decided to bring the girl there.

In the same moment the first light of dawn was seen as the sun rose in a cascade of colours in more brilliant hues than the mind of any species can possible imagine; like the sun wanted to remind the world that although Earth had faced destruction twice and the treat of destruction countless times a new day would still be coming. Always.

17 did not notice the beauty around him; his only concern was to bring the girl in his arms to the small island.

Finally. He was there.

"HEY! WAKE UP!" he knocked on the door, very carefully but only because knocking with full force would destroy it. Why wasn't anyone reacting?

"Hey. Calm down!" a very familiar voice sounded. He could hear footsteps and then the door was yanked open.

With no words 17 pushed the girl into his sister's arms then he turned around and took off.

He hadn't far, however, when he suddenly felt someone take him by the wrist. Turning around he was very surprised to find himself face-to-face with 18.

"I forgive you!"


End file.
